CLAIMS that Waverley’s alternate waste collection has not aggravated the traffic problems at Witley depot have angered residents.

Villager Jack Lee, who lives next to the county council owned civic waste and recycling site on the A283, launched a protest campaign last year due to concern about the knock-on effect.

The depot has a difficult access down a narrow lane and at busy times a queue of waiting traffic can form down the A283, which has been a cause for concern for many years.

Residents have complained the problems have worsened considerably since last June when Waverley introduced fortnightly kerbside refuse and recycling collections, because householders have been bringing their rubbish straight to the dump to get rid of it.

Angered by recent statements made by several borough councillors suggesting the new refuse arrangements had not increased traffic, Mr Lee has just obtained the official figures from Surrey under the Freedom of Information Act.

“They clearly show a very dramatic increase of traffic into the site,” he said. “Since 2002, from May to September traffic movements have increased from around 10,000 a month to 14,000, which is an increase of 40%.

“This now represents on average one car a minute travelling down a one-way road. There are now long queues waiting to get into the site, particularly at weekends and when the collection vehicles are removing the skips.”

Mr Lee requested the data following a discussion about the situation at the depot at Waverley’s full council meeting in December.

“Cllr Ken Reed stated that the figures he had seen showed the traffic movements to Witley were fairly flat throughout the year,” Mr Lee said. “Cllr Victor Scrivens, Waverley’s portfolio holder for the environment, has made similar comments in the past.”

Cllr Reed was responding to Witley and Hambledon councillor Adam Taylor-Smith’s claim that the traffic had increased and was blighting the lives of neighbouring residents.

This week, Mr Taylor-Smith welcomed the supportive data and hoped it would serve to underline the need for urgent measures to take the pressure off the depot.

“I have been told that people are driving to Witley from beyond Haslemere to get rid of their rubbish, because they have missed their slot and can’t wait another fortnight,” he said.

“Waverley has caused this problem because there has been a lack of joined up thinking. It should open more ‘bring’ sites for rubbish disposal or increase the kerbside collections.”

A Surrey County Council spokesman said there were plans to expand and improve the site to improve the traffic flow.

“In the meantime, we will be examining the traffic and tonnage data for the site in consultation with Waverley to understand the extent of any shift in waste from Waverley’s door to door collections to the civic amenity site to see whether there are ways that this can be mitigated.”